andPOP

Chris Brown Talks About The Assault Aftermath

Joelle Tomlinson — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:26:34 +0000

Chris Brown opened up about his assault on former girlfriend Rihanna during the MTV News special “Chris Brown: The Interview” on Friday (November 6), elaborating on his destructive behavior, explaining his previous apologies and describing his ongoing therapy sessions.

According to mtvnews.com, Brown told MTV News correspondent Sway that he has finally come to terms with the fact that he was capable of such violence.

“I think you’d be in denial and be totally naive not to,” he said. “And not being able to realize and own up to the fact of your own wrongs. I mean, me, I’ve come to terms with it and I’m working on it. … For that moment or whatever had me at that place, I want to erase that from what my character is. I want to be totally different from now on. I don’t want to be that person.”

“I’m confused right now as far as the public perception [of me],” he said. “Like, I think with my fans, they still love me, they support me, definitely. You have those people who will support you. So it’s kinda like 50/50 for me. I got the people that will come out and support and then the people that don’t wanna see me do anything. They basically want me in jail.”

Brown said he hasn’t been able to maintain a thick skin when it comes to receiving negative comments in public. During a trip to an amusement park, Brown described hearing cries of “women beater.”

“I’m human, so when I hear certain things that they say or if I go somewhere and I hear somebody be rude about it, it’s just like, ‘Man, it’s a mistake,’ ” Brown said. “I made a big mistake. I’m learning from it. Like, I’m not saying, ‘Who are they to judge?’ because, I mean, everybody’s entitled to their own opinion on how they feel, but it hurts.”

Evanescence Return to the Stage

Sara Harowitz — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:49:44 +0000

Remember Evanescence? You know, the one with that goth female lead singer with the haunting voice? Well, they’re back, and with a bang.

Wednesday night the band performed a secret show at the Manhattan Center Grand Ballroom in New York, reports rollingstone.com. A little after 9 p.m., the crowd started growing impatient, chanting, “EVAN-ES-SCENTS, EVAN-ES-SCENTS.” And even though the band hasn’t been heard from in years, you wouldn’t know it from their performance.

And as their front woman Amy Lee explained, last night’s intimate show was quite necessary, considering Evanescence will be performing for 40,000 people at the Maquinaria Festival in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Nov. 8. So, Lee said, they needed a little warming up before heading south.

“Thanks for being our guinea pigs,” Lee joked to the predominantly female crowd.

Evanescence hasn’t put out a record since 2006’s The Open Door, but they’re currently hard at work on a follow-up album. Still, it’ll be another year before the band is back performing in New York, making last night’s concert a special treat for their dedicated fans, who sold out the show in just five minutes.

Lee sported clunky black boots and a multi-coloured dress at the show, commanding the stage and showing off her operatic and smoky pipes. The band, featuring substitute guitarist James Black from the band Finger Eleven, soared through hits like, “Going Under,” “Missing,” Haunted,” “Good Enough,” “Call Me When You’re Sober,” “Bring Me To Life,” and “My Immortal.”

Fans head banged and fist pumped along with Lee, singing along with her and recording every minute with their cell phones and digital cameras. After one song, a fan tossed a teddy bear up at Lee, but it instead ended up in the grasp of a stage hand.

Before leaving the stage, Lee thanked all her fans for being so supportive after so long, and promised that new music was on the way.

Movie Review: Inside Hana’s Suitcase

Ilan Mester — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:48:07 +0000

“Inside Hana’s Suitcase” will move anyone and everyone. The film mixes documentary with narrative techniques to tell the true-life story of Hana Brady, a girl who was killed during the Holocaust.

The film was inspired by the 2002 bestselling book Hana’s Suitcase. It retraces a series of coincidences that lead Tokyo school teacher Fumiko Ishioka, to the suitcase that belonged to a Czech Jewish girl, Hana Brady.

Ishioka, who also happens to be the director of the Tokyo Holocaust Education Centre, receives the suitcase with only two bits of information on Hana: her date of birth and the fact that she was an orphan by the time of her wartime capture. It doesn’t take long for the teacher to become emotionally invested in discovering Hana’s story, an investment she shares with her students. After intense research, she discovers that Hana’s brother George, a Holocaust survivor and thriving grandfather who lives in Toronto, is still alive.

Don’t let the documentary aspect turn you away from seeing this movie because it’s anything but dry. Director Larry Weinstein does a fantastic job of combining interviews with George and surviving friends and family with stunning re-enactment footage of Hana and George as kids. The two types of storytelling mesh together so well that sometimes they literally blend (a scene involving Ishioka and a drawing by Hana is simply amazing and unique).

But perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of this movie is its narration. Forget about the stereotypical monotone voice that narrates many documentaries, this one is told by children. And the interest these kids have in Hana definitely adds to the movie. It’s rare to find a kid-friendly documentary that a) captures children’s attention and b) informs them. This one does both.

For Ishioka, the purpose of teaching her students about the Holocaust was to show what can happen when prejudice and hatred are taken too far. The movie does a great job of capturing this. Take the advice of one of the schoolgirls in the documentary. She simply says, “we need to learn from this story” — advice worth taking.

‘Michael Jackson’s This Is It’ Makes Movie And Album History

Joelle Tomlinson — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:46:56 +0000

What better way to honor the prince?

“Michael Jackson’s This Is It” made motion picture history as the highest grossing concert film of all time. That’s not all. The two-disc companion to the movie released by Sony Music’s Epic Records makes its first week debut in the #1 spot on Canada’s Nielsen SoundScan Top 200 album chart, the U.S. Billboard Top 200 chart, as well as the Soundtrack album chart in both countries.

Sales totaled 44,441 in Canada and 373,100 units in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, and this figure does not include significant sales from non-traditional retailers. In Canada, “This Is It” is Jackson’s first number one album since the establishment of SoundScan in 1997. With over 40,000 in first week sales, the album claims the third best sales week of 2009, trailing only behind U2 and Eminem’s releases. It’s no surprise that “This Is It” also claimed the #1 spot in 15 other countries, including Japan, France, Italy, Holland, Belgium, Turkey, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Korea, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the Middle East and Colombia. It was also top-3 in the UK, Australia, Argentina, Austra, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland and Spain. Furthermore, a simultaneous #1 album and #1 documentary film as not happened since 1971 when the Rolling Stones did it with the album “Sticky Fingers” and movie “Gimme Shelter.”

Michael Jackson albums now occupy the top five spots of Billboard catalog album chart at #1, #3 and #4; his Number Ones album is this year’s best-selling overall album year to date. Michael Jackson’s accomplishments continue in Canada with eleven albums charting in Nielsen SoundScan’s Top Catalogue Albums including Thriller (Remastered), Thriller 25^th Anniversary Edition, Essential Michael Jackson, and Number Ones. Throughout his career, Michael Jackson has spent a total of 51 weeks at #1 on the Billboard album chart. Only The Beatles and Elvis Presley have spent more weeks at the top.

According to the press release, Disc one features the original album masters of some of Michael’s biggest hits such as “Billie Jean,” “Smooth Criminal,” ”Human Nature,” and “Thriller” arranged in the same sequence as they appear in the film. The disc ends with two versions of “This Is It,” the original and an orchestral version. Disc two offers fans a rare listen to the early demo versions of classics “She’s Out Of My Life,” “Wanna Be Startin’,” “Somethin’,” and “Beat It.” This disc also features a recently discovered spoken word poem from Michael Jackson entitled “Planet Earth.”

Gossip Girl Featuring Lady Gaga

Joelle Tomlinson — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:50:20 +0000

Not much has been spilled regarding Lady Gagas much-anticipated appearance on the show, Gossip Girl.

According to perezhilton.com, the cast has only confirmed that she will be appearing and eluded that it will be something pretty spectacular. Lady Gaga, on the other hand, has revealed actual details about the upcoming appearance.

Gaga explained hat if she was going to do the show, she not settling for a randomly inserted musical performance.

“I hate TV series performances, because they kind of come in out of nowhere, and everyone’s, like, really into the story, and then all of a sudden somebody breaks into song. And it has nothing to do with the storyline, and then it screws everything up. I really sat down with the writers. I was like, ‘Look, I want to do this, and the reason I want to do this is because I am trying to say something that is not mainstream in a mainstream capacity. So, if I can say it on your show, that would be, like, a real coup d’état for me as a performance artist.’ ”

She elaborates that she is “the narrator behind what is going on with the characters and make the song part of the moment.”

“We used these ladders, and I’m falling off ladders. Ladders are kind of a monster symbol about bad luck. And I have this 35-foot-long dress on and these X’s, very gothic-inspired. It was great. They let me do whatever the hell I wanted. It was amazing.”

Between this intriguing/slightly scary performance and the upcoming threesome, Gossip Girl is pulling out all stops to regain footing in the ratings!

Rihanna Speaks Out About Her Assault By Chris Brown

Joelle Tomlinson — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:29:06 +0000

Rihanna spoke candidly about being assaulted by Chris Brown in her first televised interview since the February incident. She said the assault was “humiliating” and “traumatizing,” and admitted that going back to Brown shortly after it happened it was “wrong.”

According to mtvnews.com, Rihanna told Diane Sawyer that it was “embarrassing that that’s the type of person that I fell in love with.” The interview aired in part on “Good Morning America” on Thursday (November 5) and will air in full on “20/20″ Friday night. “[I was] so far in love, so unconditional that I went back. It’s humiliating to say this happened. To accept that? It’s a traumatizing experience.”

Rihanna told Sawyer that on February 8, Brown put her in a headlock twice and bit her ears and fingers. Soon after the incident, a police photo leaked, showing the singer to be badly bruised. But weeks later, she and Brown were spotted vacationing together in Miami.

“I stayed. I even went back after he beat me, which was wrong,” she admitted. “But again … I’m a human being, and people put me on a very unrealistic pedestal. And all these expectations, I’m not perfect. Also it’s pretty natural for that to be the first reaction. … It’s completely normal to go back. You start lying to yourself. The minute the physical wounds go away you want this thing to go away. This is a memory you don’t want to have ever again.”

Sawyer cited the statistic that it takes a woman an average of seven incidences to leave an abusive relationship. “Eight or nine, actually,” Rihanna said. “And I don’t want that to happen. That’s not what I want to teach people. … I didn’t cause this. I didn’t do it. This happened to me, and it can happen to anybody. A lot of women experience what I did, but not in the public, so it made it really difficult. I just felt like, ‘Here goes my little bit of privacy, exposed something that nobody wants anybody to know.’ So, here I am with the whole world knowing.”

Game Review: Scooby Doo! First frights

sarge-ak47 — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:41:15 +0000

Oh Scooby what are you searching for?

A trick or a treat?

With Halloween just passed I can’t get enough of scary games. You see last year my friends and I all got together and played Dead Space for the PS3. Sure it was a single player experience but we took turns and only played the game after 1 am every Friday leading up to Halloween. It was an insanely fun experience.

This year I got Scooby-Doo! First frights for the Wii. Now it’s no Dead Space but if you think back to when you were a kid(like 6 to10) I’m sure you wanted a slight chill of Halloween and not the full blown horror we all seek these days.

Gameplay
Scooby Doo! First frights is developed by Torus Studios and comes out for the Wii and DS. The main quest is broken down into four episodes with each containing upwards of four levels to complete.

The best way to describe it is linear progression with a heavy dose of collecting Scooby snacks. Along the way expect to search for clues fight bosses and beat up countless baddies, it’s standard stuff, nothing here is really inventive nor innovative. That would not be a bad thing if the gameplay mechanics were solid, sadly they turn out to be more of a chore. Linear levels with tons of invisible walls are a bad start but then to add hordes of mindless enemies that are as fun to beat up as a bag of sand is just adding to the frustration. The combat mechanics are simple enough with two attack buttons and a charge up, it will get boring really fast unless you use Daphne-who does a Liu Kang bicycle kick! Now I was a big fan of the original cartoon and its half baked attempts in solving puzzles and piecing together clues yet those moments in the game are relegated to bashing items around an area to literally find “puzzle” pieces that become a clue item. I understand this is supposed to be a kids game but maybe a little more effort could have been made in creating something that could channel the spirit of the cartoons. A bit of point and click or other exploration elements in finding clues would have been amazing.

Man up Fred! You can learn a thing or two from Daphne

The other problem is with the actual platforming and camera. The game relies on a fixed camera that gives you a three quarters view from above and is relatively functional for the most part. The game however has this nasty tendency of going into a 2D view angle for some of these platform areas and often times it is just a bad choice. Especially since most of the platforming elements tend to go into the Z axis. The characters don’t seem to be designed with platforming in mind either since they jump and move in a very loose manner. This makes for some truly messy platforming.

To add to the plethora of game play experiences are the obligatory chase scenes that play out like the old Crash Bandicoot sequences, it seem the people at Torus are fans of Naughty Dog. These sequences for the most parts are fun and feel right at home in Scooby Doo!

In terms of controls the game does a decent job of keeping things simple and fun- you can play with the nunchuck or even the classic controller. I played with the Wii mote and nunchuck where you can jump with the A button and perform attacks with the B button. Your characters special moves are assigned to the Z button and C lets you switch between the two characters in each level. You can do the classic butt stomp by double jumping and pressing attack. Certain characters like shaggy can even reflect projectiles with their special attack button. The character swap mechanic isn’t as deep as you would think since it’s relegated to simple level navigation. Now here is where the context sensitive moments come in – pressing Z lets your specific character do their special ability. Scooby can go through doggy doors, Shaggy uses a Yo-Yo to swing and hit switches, Fred can push and pull large objects, Velma can hack computer switches, and Daphne can shimmy across pipes to reach far away areas. These elements help the gameplay but are not used enough or cleverly implemented. Now you wouldn’t have to do all that switching if you play co op but trust me the only way I would play co op is if my young cousin wanted help with the atrocious platforming. Again the game at its core is very simple and at times the same mindless set of actions are repeated level after level. The game after all is very linear.

Wasn't this a Loony Toons gag?

Is there a silver lining? Sure there is! The game uses costumes not as a skin but actually changes your characters visual functionality. Take Shaggy as an example, he has a space suit costume that shoots out laser blasts instead of his standard slingshot and double jumping activates the jet pack. Granted the functionality isn’t enough to be called an upgrade but I just adore the details. Then there is the solving of the mystery; you see whilst playing the episode you meet the locals of the area and by the episode’s end you have to decide of the three people you meet who was behind all the shenanigans. Choose the wrong one and there are no consequences but just having them in a line up and kids guessing “who done it?” is a nice touch.
It is small feature that makes me smile.

Graphics
In terms of production values the game is certainly packing some heat and the graphics aren’t that bad. Sure it uses low polygonal designs cleverly to create a very stylized look but you will be amazed at the versatility of the engine. Some of the stuff in this game is truly exceptional, the ambient lighting and some of the skyline vistas are just beautiful. The same could be said in the diversity of scary locations as this game skips all the typical settings and creates some truly inspired locations-granted they aren’t original settings but they are different from the usual mix of haunted mansions.

The character animations are decent but some of the important animations like jumping look as stiff as they are to control. It is evident that this is a last gen game but they try their best to deliver. The indoor areas are always littered with tons of geometry and often times you may be forgiven to try and check out an object that ends up behind an invisible wall. Again I was really impressed with some of the background work- just play the second episode that has you jumping on parade balloons to get to the toy factory and tell me you weren’t a tad bit surprised.
The entire cast of Mystery Inc has been wonderfully recreated in their adolescent form, adding to that some unlockable costumes and you have a title that will try it’s best to keep things visually interesting.

Looks like you are on your own Shaggy

I’m actually in love with the intro and menu screen since it seems to be inside a small cottage with Scooby and Shaggy, just the movement around the cottage is nothing new but it goes a long way to say that the devs made sure to keep the feeling of the series alive in every visual aspect. This game won’t win any awards for its visual fidelity but it does do a great job and packs amazing production values that we have rarely seen on the Wii (aside from the stellar first party games).

Sound
The game has the standard music selection that compliments each area very appropriately, the cinematic showcases great voice acting with the help of classic canned laughter. Sadly these do not make it into the actual gameplay where we are treated with repeated taunts by our heroes and some incredibly annoying grunts by the baddies.
I really was expecting a lot out of the audio portion of the game to enhance the cartoon’s feel but it does an ok job and nothing more. Compliments again to the cinematic voice acting with canned laughter- just make sure there is more of that in the actual game.

Replay
With about four episodes and four levels each- it’s a good kids game that is over in about 5 to 6 hours. Even young kids who have played their share of video games will manage to finish this with relative ease.
Unlockable costumes and trophies are a nice addition but fail to offer anything beyond an aesthetic change. There isn’t a whole lot motivating you to play again.

Verdict
I have to keep telling myself that this is a kids game and I then catch myself wondering if as a kid would have enjoyed this. For a scary theme game First frights does a very decent job with particularly stellar production values but it is when we take the scary theme and cartoon license away do we see the core gameplay and how it relies heavily on its license. For every great production value related moment we are treated to some mind numbing gameplay. A rental for the fans and maybe a buy for that little kid who can’t wait to play Dead space when he is old enough (yes let’s try and enforce the rating system people).

Gameplay      2/5
Graphics        3/5
Sound         2.5/5
Replay        2.5/5

Jay-Z Joined By Mr. Hudson at London Show

Sara Harowitz — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:44:32 +0000

Rapper Jay-Z was joined onstage by rising pop phenomenon Mr. Hudson at his London show yesterday, reports nme.com.

Jay-Z is currently on tour in support of his new album, The Blueprint III, which took him to London’s Alexandra Palace last night. For the encore, Jay-Z sang a song off The Blueprint III, called “Young Forever,” which features Mr. Hudson. The singer joined Jay-Z onstage for the song.

Mr. Hudson’s appearance wasn’t the only surprise that the London audience got last night: they also found out they were going to be in a music video for the song. Jay-Z and Mr. Hudson used the crowd to film the video.

The crowd, once informed by Mr. Hudson that they were being filmed for the forthcoming promo, responded by holding lighters in the air and singing along while the artists and Jay-Z’s live band carried the song. ”Young Forever” closed off Jay-Z’s sold-out performance at the UK capital, which saw him play other hits including “Empire State of Mind,” “DOA (Death of Autotune)”, and “Izzo (H.O.V.A.).”

The rapper showed his love for the British crowd by projecting the Union Jack flag on a huge screen behind his band at various points throughout the show. He also made light of his success and his rather well-known self-confidence.

“I want to thank anyone who bought my ‘Blueprint III’,” he said to the crowd. “My 11th Number One album, surpassing Elvis Presley. I can officially say Elvis has left the building… That’s a joke.”

Later on Jay-Z rapped to a medley that included part of his wife Beyonce’s “Crazy In Love.” He also stopped in the middle of “Big Pimpin,’” making the crowd earn a restart by cheering loudly.

Before the “Young Forever” encore, the rapper picked out members of the crowd and thanked them, pointing out the clothing they were wearing or the flags they were waving to identify them individually.

His stop in Toronto on Halloween night also had surprise guests, including rising rap star and Toronto native Drake.

Next, Jay-Z will play Fresno, California’s Save Mart Center on Saturday, Nov. 7.

John Mayer 2010 Tour Announced

Sara Harowitz — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:20:41 +0000

John Mayer is back with a new album and a 2010 tour, according to the musician’s website, johnmayer.com.

Mayer’s new album, Battle Studies, is due out on Nov. 17. Mayer will then go on a tour to support the album in the Winter of 2010. Mayer has already released one single from the new album, called “Who Says.” Physical and digital presale orders for the album are being accepted until Nov. 10.

Mayer will also be playing a select few upcoming CD release concerts, including one on Nov. 24 at Toronto’s Sound Academy. This small tour also includes stops in Australia and New York.

You can see Mayer on tour in 2010 here:

1/15 Manchester, Manchester Apollo
1/16 Glasgow, O2 Glasgow Academy
1/18 London, HMV Hammersmith Apollo
1/19 Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton Civic Hall
2/8 Charleston, SC North Charleston Coliseum
2/9 Birmingham, AL BJCC Arena
2/10 Nashville, TN Sommet Center
2/12 Auburn Hills , MI The Palace of Auburn Hills
2/13 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
2/16 Ottawa, ON Scotiabank Place
2/17 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
2/19 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun
2/20 Washington, DC Verizon Center
2/21 Philadelphia, PA Wachovia Center
2/24 Boston, MA TD Garden
2/25 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
2/28 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
3/1 Milwaukee, WI Bradley Center
3/2 St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
3/4 Omaha, NE Qwest Center
3/5 Oklahoma City, OK Ford Center
3/6 Houston, TX Toyota Center
3/8 Austin, TX Frank Erwin Center
3/9 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
3/10 New Orleans, LA New Orleans Arena
3/12 Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena
3/13 Louisville, KY Freedom Hall
3/15 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum Complex
3/16 Charlottesville, VA John Paul Jones Arena
3/17 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena
3/19 Memphis, TN Fed Ex Forum
3/20 St Louis, MO Scottrade Center
3/22 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
3/23 Denver, CO Pepsi Center
3/25 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center
3/26 San Jose, CA HP Pavilion
3/30 Portland, OR Rose Garden
3/31 Seattle, WA KeyArena
4/1 Vancouver, BC General Motors Place
4/3 Calgary, AB Pengrowth Saddledome
4/4 Edmonton, AB Rexall Place
4/6 Saskatoon, SK Credit Union Centre
4/7 Winnipeg, MB MTS Centre
4/8 Fargo, ND FargoDome
4/10 Chicago, IL United Center

The Beatles Coming to a USB Near You

Sara Harowitz — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:10:48 +0000

In a highly digital age such as the one we are currently in, it’s hard to believe that not all music is legally sold online. However, with the Beatles, that’s just the case.

While you can play their songs on Rock Band and listen to their music on remastered CDs, you still cannot buy the Beatles’ music on iTunes and other digital stores. That is, not yet.

According to rollingstone.com, Apple Corps. and EMI Music will release a limited-edition USB drive featuring the entire Beatles in Stereo remastered discography on Dec. 7 in the UK and Dec. 8 in North America. While Apple Corps. had up until recently kept the view of not selling John, Paul, George and Ringo’s music digitally, 320 Kbps MP3s will house all 14 Beatles albums and 13 “mini-documentaries,” and will be available for public purchase. The 16GB USB drive will be shaped like the famous Apple logo, with “The Beatles” written on it. Only 30,000 of these Beatles USBs will be produced.

The USB can be pre-ordered on the Beatles’ website. The price for this limited edition USB $279.99 (US), states the site, and includes the Beatles’ albums, Please Please Me, With The Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night, Beatles For Sale, Help!, Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Magical Mystery Tour, Yellow Submarine, The White Album, Abbey Road, Let It Be, and Past Masters.

EMI Music is also currently going after a digital music site called BlueBeat.com for offering a digital download of the Beatles catalog without permission. A copyright-infringement lawsuit was filed yesterday by EMI, which has the digital rights to the Beatles’ music through an agreement with Apple Corps.

Not only is the site selling the Beatles discography without permission, BlueBeat is doing so at below market prices. Each track on BlueBeat costs only 25 cents, so while iTunes would charge $9.99 (US) for an 11-track album like Magical Mystery Tour, BlueBeat only charges $2.75. The entire catalog is being sold for $53.25. The site has reportedly been streaming the catalog since Sept. 16, which was just one week after the remastered CDs were released.